The Pakistani textile industry constitutes a large share of Pakistani exports and with better access to the EU market; Pakistan is expecting to achieve $14.5 billion of textile exports by the end of fiscal year 2014.

While talking to members of the association on Thursday, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Chairman Sheikh Ilyas Mahmood said that Heimtextil, world’s largest home textile event held in Germany holds a great importance for Pakistani textile exporters. Although, Pakistani exhibitors are fewer this year than compared to the previous years, they got a positive response from international buyers as Pakistani commodity has been an attractive one on the opening day of the textile event.

Retailers around the globe visit this fair for new fashion trends and to place their orders for the upcoming spring season.

World’s renowned departmental stores like Walmart and JC Penney also stock their inventories through this exhibition.

Pakistan has been a big participant of the Heimtextil for the last several years and has been earning foreign exchange every year by getting export orders through this event. This year, 222 textile exporters of home textile bed-wear and towel manufactures displayed their products in the exhibition.

Mahmood termed the GSP Plus status as a great edge for Pakistani textiles and said that the duty-waiver facility has provided great support to the exporters, enabling them to compete well with regional rivals in the international market.

At the opening day of the exhibition, their exporters were confident, while the rival exporters failed to receive a response. However, Chinese exporters are a tough competition to the Pakistanis.